Streamline
by Rinakosu
Summary: Anthology. Elesa and Mei weren't the likeliest pair anyone could have come up with. In fact, it might have come as a surprise to their peers. But somehow, the two make it seem to work. See their daily lives: the best and the worst, sometimes the first, the last and everything in between.
1. Winter

I was supposed to be getting to a newer, better plot filled story, but this just would not let me do anything other than write it.

Anyway, this is a story with bits of fluff/sadness/angst/joy/FLUFF/love/hate...stuff like that. Well…hopefully people read this, I'm really gonna need help with themes. You can request them, as many as you want, I don't really mind. I'm not sure if I wanna change the rating to M or leave it as T, it really depends on the themes I wanna write about. Also! The chapters won't be too short, and some might get pretty lengthy (such as, I dunno...a really dramatic thing), so if length is your enemy, I'll try to keep it within a ten minute read.

**Disclaimer: **I'll never own anything. Sad Rina.

* * *

_**Streamline**_

* * *

_**Winter**_

When it began snowing, usually the first thing was to head home and hit the stove for some hot chocolate. But those were normal people. Mei wasn't as normal as one would think, and nobody questioned her actions, because as everyone knew, she was one to enjoy exploring everything and anything, in any weather.

"Aren't you cold?" a curious Elesa asked, observing the younger girl as she sat in a simple pink sweater and her regular tights. It was really hard to believe she walked from Aspertia in the raging cold just to come hang out with her. Flattering, very flattering considering Elesa never revealed her schedule, but incredibly foolish. "I have a feeling you're going to get sick," she smirked, resting her head in her palm with a very confident look on her face.

Mei furrowed her eyebrows at that look, clearly seeing the annoyance in the model's eyes; Mei never got sick, and it certainly wouldn't be because of Elesa. "Would you have preferred to sit all alone in here?" she shot back, deeply wondering if she was bothering the usual busybody. Elesa always seemed to be doing something, whether it was something like modeling, training her pokemon, or something as mundane like eating (with very important and famous people, such as Cynthia from Sinnoh and even Red and Green from Kanto).

It seemed her question threw the black-haired woman off guard, as there was no quick, witty comment to defend herself. Mei scanned her and smiled when she saw a small, almost miniscule blush appear on the model's face. "Ha," she uttered, taking a long sip of her hot chocolate through her thermos.

Elesa leaned against her stage, looking through the windows acting like a ceiling, seeing a pink sky and heaps of snow covering some of the glass. If she was lucky that glass would be able to hold all of it until morning, she couldn't bear send anyone out to clear it, not with the weather being all sorts of angry. However, colorful lights from the ferris wheel lit up the snow, causing it to glitter.

"I suppose I like your company…" The semi darkness of the building gave her a twinge of…happiness. As if being alone with Mei was comforting enough, and to some extent, it was.

Now it was Mei's turn to blush, and she twirled the drink in her hand slowly, staring blankly at it for a little bit before glancing to the side. The black-haired gym leader was looking into her phone, sliding through her calendar a little, every single day having a sort of activity written on it.

"Elesa?" she whispered, leaning in closer to get a better look. The older woman stopped her scrolling and turned to the brunette, raising an eyebrow. "You're dying your hair? I thought it was naturally like that…"

Of course she'd say something stupid! Mei blushed at her random blabber. Elesa chortled, and slipped her phone into her pocket, resting her palms onto the floor. Mei was looking up at her now, and she suddenly realized how close the teen had gotten to her. But it wasn't something she was embarrassed by, she simply smiled at the girl.

"Yes I dye my hair," she answered calmly, playing with her bangs a little. The inky color was beautiful, and she loved it so much more than her natural blonde. Sure, she specialized in electric types of pokemon, but it didn't mean she couldn't do things as simple as dying hair. "My natural hair color is blonde."

Mei's eyes widened, and then her lips formed a large, bright grin, "No way! You can't even see your roots," she whispered, bringing her fingers to caress the black locks. Not only did it seem completely natural, but Elesa's hair was incredibly _soft_ and smelled very nice.

The older woman laughed, finding a strange comfort in the soft strokes Mei was giving her head. "That's the result of professional stylists, maybe you should dye your hair," she offered, thinking up a million different shades that would suit the pretty trainer. Mei shook her head and laughed herself, waving off the statement. "Why not?" Elesa asked, taking a risk herself and brushing the young girl's bangs.

"Well, I did think a while ago about dying it black like yours, but it'd probably be something like…that," she explained a bit too bluntly, pointing at a faded out black podium in the far corner near the doors. Snow was beginning to pile in front of them, and Mei winced, knowing she was stuck there for a night, and so was Elesa; it was like the woman never left the place.

Shaking her head with disbelief and clicking her tongue, Elesa poked Mei's forehead, "Only if you get a stylist that's cheap, then yeah, it'll turn out grungy and bad. Some places do a very good job."

"Okay yeah, but still…I think I look pretty good as a brunette, not to toot my own horn or anything," the younger girl said, winking a little bit.

Elesa shook her head with a smirk, leaning back again against the stage. She wasn't too surprised when Mei got even closer and leaned against her shoulder. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling either, so she closed her eyes, relishing in the newfound warmth. Mei's soft breathing added a small gust of wind to blow her hair to the side, making the older woman giggle to herself a little. "Comfortable?" she teased, twirling a few brown strands of hair around her index finger.

"Very," the trainer breathed, letting her smile press against Elesa's collarbone. She would never admit it, but Mei was starting to get a little cold, despite the casual warning her mom had given her before she dashed out into the snowing region. Mei could already hear Elesa berating her for being so oblivious to the obvious. But, to be a little bit more forward with her freezing state, she cuddled closer to the gym leader, hoping to Arceus she wouldn't be pushed away.

It seemed she took the hint and sighed, "You're cold, aren't you?" She took the sudden silence as a yes, and slipped her arm out of the right sleeve of her jacket, wrapping it around Mei. Her am, having nowhere to go, decided to rest on the girl's waist, Elesa herself wondering if she was pushing it. "Better?" she asked, hating the small break in her voice.

Mei giggled, pressing her nose against Elesa's jaw, savoring the moment. "Absolutely," she nodded, glancing at the doors for a second before finding herself with a big smile on her face. The glass doors were completely covered in snow at this point, leaving both of them stuck inside for the night. Not that she minded, and she was sure Elesa didn't mind either.

Winter was officially her favorite time of the year.

* * *

_**AN:**_

Okay, well, this will be a pretty LONG anthology story, because the themes are definitely endless as to what I can do with these two. Hopefully you enjoyed, and add any themes you'd like to see here, it's pretty much guaranteed that I'll be using each and every one, including ones I come up with myself. There should be an update within the next few days…or day.

Thank you for reading!


	2. Dark Eyes

Yay, another chapter! Hope you like it, and thank all of you that have read the first chapter!

This one's a little darker (and long…just shoot me now), just a small note before you begin. I'm thinking of adding onto this one later on, although I have no idea how I'll do it.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Sad Rina.

* * *

_**Streamline**_

* * *

_**Dark Eyes**_

She was strong, so incredibly strong now it was unbelievable, no trainer gave her a tough time and suddenly everyone was aware of just how ruthless she had become. Even innocent youngsters would be demolished within a few minutes by her strongest pokemon, a death glare aimed right at the fallen foe. She didn't care about being the best anymore, that was over with when Neo Team Plasma was taken down.

Mei never had a reason to begin her journey aside from helping fill a pokedex, and after taking down the remaining Plasma members, her usual bubbly attitude was destroyed as well. It was obvious in the way she walked, the way she hardly spoke and visited her friends. Nobody noticed it at first, it was sort of something that randomly came to their attention weeks after it began.

There was still a goal at defeating the Pokemon League, but gym battles and the Elite Four were mere obstacles to finishing the request Professor Juniper threw at her.

Rumors began to spread, each different, some malicious and others plain mysterious as to where they had originated. Whether they were true or not, everyone had heard the news of a certain new "hero", and began to treat her differently. No longer was she welcome in her secondary job as an actress, Pokestar Studios having enough of her apparent attitude; no gym allowed any rematches, saying Mei was too strong for any sort of fair fight.

All but one in Mistralton, and even then Mei hardly visited, wandering about the region with eyes hidden beneath longer bangs, an obvious sign of her lack of taking care of herself.

"Are you done moping?" a woman who usually expressed happiness asked dully, leaning against the doorframe of her daughter's room. The small area became a labyrinth of sorts, messy and leaving a small trail for Mei to follow to her bed and outside. It seemed she didn't think going outside was important, as she hadn't left her room for four days straight. "Mei."

The girl shifted a little, groaning a bit at the question, "I'm not moping," she whispered, staring at the wall. Her hands clutched at her sheets, warm from her unmoving state. She was tired. So tired. "Leave me alone." She paid her mom no attention and closed her eyes to rest, relaxing in the darkness.

Her mom sighed, crossing the room to slowly lay down next to Mei, frowning at the sight of the girl. She hated seeing her daughter this way, and with her silence to everything, refusing to share her inner feelings, Mei was beginning to wither herself away; her degrading health and body were signs that something had to be done in order to save her…whatever it was that was causing her to drown in depression.

"Why does everyone keep bothering me?" Mei asked after a few moments of silence. She couldn't fall asleep with someone watching her, she had to be alone. Her eyes opened, a dark shade of blue that should've been a blazing cerulean. Her hands clutched at her mom's shoulder, tugging at her shirt. "Mom…there's nowhere for me to go now…" she closed her eyes, as if it would dull the pain and relieve her of her troubles. "How can I still live like this…?"

Fresh tears slid down the woman's cheeks as she listened, a soft sob raking her body. Mei sounded so lost, so confused…how foolish she was, to just expect her to somehow overcome any worries she inwardly had. Mei was just another teenager, and while she could overcome evil and defeat the likes of people like Plasma, she was still human. Not the invincible hero. "I'm sorry…" her mom whispered, wrapping her arms around the weak girl, trying to block out the sounds of Mei's sobbing.

The cries were full of fatigue, sadness, confusion and above all, loneliness. They were gut wrenching to listen to, her mom running her hands through her hair while trying to hold herself back. This wasn't a time to interrogate her, questions would only make Mei slither back into her shell of silence. Her mom had no idea what the teen was going through, but did know the worst time to ask about it was when Mei was in such a disoriented state.

A soft knock at the front door interrupted them, and Mei froze in her arms, letting her body go slack. Her mom brushed her hair to the side, and placed a light kiss to her forehead, sitting up to answer. "I'll be right back," she said, leaving the room in a hurry, almost tripping over a few pokeballs on her way out.

When she opened the door, she met with someone she only saw on television. Gym Leader Elesa, sporting her famous battling attire and a very intimidating glare, jumped back a little at the older woman that opened the door, somehow looking like she had been expecting someone else.

"Oh, um…" the younger of the two mumbled, blushing a little. Elesa looked into the older woman's eyes and took a deep breath, "Mei doesn't happen to live here…does she?"

Mei's mom felt her eyebrows furrowing, a frown etching onto her face. "Excuse me for my tone, but…what business do you have with my daughter?" She wasn't about to let one of Mei's supposed "friends" waltz right in, not after every gym closed their doors to her.

Elesa mimicked her look, her dark eyebrows showing her displeasure with her. "My business is to speak with her. I understand she's sort of…"

Both women turned to the sound of feet dragging on the wood floor, undone brown hair hanging off of her shoulders and eyes staring off into space, not giving the gym leader a glance. "Mom…" she whispered, looking up for a moment before stumbling forward and landing in Elesa's arms, sinking to her knees.

"Mei?" the dark-haired gym leader asked, wondering if this was the same girl she had seen bouncing all around Unova before.

Elesa sighed, looking to her mom who had just as much a shocked face as she did when the teen had landed in her arms. "Is it alright if I…?" she asked, motioning to Mei, who was passed out and about to make both herself and Elesa fall to the ground.

"I…suppose…" her mom mumbled, stepping backwards to head into the kitchen and make tea. "Her room is right down the hall, to the left."

The gym leader nodded, and waited until the woman was out of sight to reach under Mei's body and lift her up, amazed at how light she had become. Although that wasn't a good thing. "Just what have you done to yourself…" she asked the sleeping girl, shaking her head.

Ignoring the mess of her room, and the scattered about poke balls, Elesa gently placed Mei on her bed, taking note of the sweat building up on her forehead, the flush of her cheeks and how heavy she seemed to be breathing.

"You…" Elesa mumbled, almost feeling a bit of annoyance creep up within her. First disappearing for weeks, then walking around when she was fatigued, weak and sick! Mei sure was an oddball…

Her mom wandered in with a cup of hot tea, placing it quietly onto her nightstand, glancing at the other woman who seemed to find comfort sitting on her knees, contently watching her daughter sleep. "It'll be a while before she wakes up. If you'd like you can make yourself comfortable," she offered, somehow knowing Elesa could smack some sense into Mei, or at least figure out what she was going through. "Thank you for visiting."

Elesa nodded, getting up to sit on the bed, "Everyone's worried too, not just me. But I don't believe in rumors like the others, so I had a feeling I was the only one that could relate…" She looked over at Mei, smiling a little. "She's going to be fine, I assure you."

The older woman nodded and quietly made her exit, while Elesa moved to her side, staring at the locks of hair that almost covered Mei's entire top half of her face.

"You'll be force fed pounds of food, then some exercise, and finally…a haircut and a battle with Touko," she instructed to her, slowly running her hands through her hair. As much as she looked calm, Elesa was raging inside, wanting to yell at Mei for doing this to herself; but it wasn't right when only Mei knew why. But time would tell, she was sure; so if she had to, she'd come every day to check on her.

Mei might've acted strong, or invincible, or even scary to some people. But to Elesa, she was another wacky teenager that held a special place in her heart, and she would not let that disappear without a fight.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

Ugggh. It took me two days to finally come up with an ending to this. I didn't want it to drag on and on, so I had to come up with a conclusion. I know it's corny, but it'll pick up again in the future don't worry. I mean…Elesa did say she'd be battling Touko so…

Thank you for reading!


	3. Swimsuit

_**A/N: **_

This one is more Diamond/Pearl/Platinum oriented, through Cynthia's POV.

**Disclaimer: **I'll never own anything. Sad Rina.

* * *

_**Streamline**_

* * *

_**Swimsuit**_

"Ahh, come on Cynthia! We never go out swimming together…" Dawn whined, rolling one of the former champion's pokeballs across her desk. Being champion didn't mean wait in that fancy room for a strong trainer. It meant being stuck in an office doing all sorts of dumb paperwork and Dawn was tired of it. "It'll get me out of this office for a while."

However, said woman was not hearing it. Beaten down into normal trainer rank meant nothing to the league, who had left her with every region's pokedex. If that wasn't enough she had to take on all challenges, including the gyms and the League itself. It was tiring, but she was so close to finishing Unova's (she only needed to catch four more!), there wasn't a reason to stop now. Even for Dawn.

"You have work to do," she teased, loving the stacks of paper she didn't have to do sitting in the background. Dawn slammed her head into the desk, groaning at her misfortune. "I'm sorry, but you should've known what the responsibilities of a champion were before running into it. Don't they have a beach in Sunnyshore? You should go there with your friends!"

Dawn reeled back in horror, a small blush covering her face. This caused Cynthia to lean into her new Xtransceiver, smirking. "Don't look at me like that! It's not my fault both of my closest friends are…guys…"

"That doesn't mean you can't go to the beach with them…" Cynthia countered, standing from her spot in the subway station. Finally, after a few hours she had arrived at Nimbasa, skipping the bridge for a bit; thank goodness she was alone in the car, otherwise her conversation would have been a nuisance. "Anyway, I have a few things I need to tend to right now. You should go to Sunnyshore, relax and then go back to get a few things signed."

"Fine. Just don't get upset when some guy tries to hit on me!"

"I'll make sure it doesn't happen. Why do you think Garchomp is with you?" Cynthia gave her a charming smile before cutting off the call, looking at the bustling city.

A few people brushed past her, some doing double takes before heading off into whatever direction. As she walked off towards one of the stadiums, a small shop caught her eye, reminding her of Dawn's worries a few minutes ago. Sometimes the champion could get Cynthia to do all sorts of weird things, and of course swimsuit shopping had to be one of them.

"Oh come on Elesa," a girl giggled at the counter, leaning against the register and facing a small hallway to the side. It seemed only a few people were in here, and those included the employee, Cynthia and Elesa, the gym leader she had defeated a few months prior.

The girl seemed to be amused, her hair a bizarre style but fitting, and not wearing any sort of uniform. She also looked like a trainer, but Cynthia knew better than to judge a book by its cover.

A rustle of cloth and a click later, a tomato red Elesa walked out, sporting a pink bikini. It showed off nearly her entire body, covering up her chest with a white line and a blue border, her bottoms covering everything, but only a string held it up. Cynthia raised her eyebrows as she looked through a few racks. Elesa didn't seem the type to like pink.

"You're adorable," the employee said casually, resting her head in her palm. She smiled, but then stopped when she reached Elesa's thighs. "I think pink looks good on you!"

Elesa shook her head, taking a deep breath, "I suppose I'll buy this one. It's the only one you've actually complimented." She smirked at the blushing girl, reminded Cynthia at the teasing she would give Dawn on an almost daily basis.

The girl stuttered, trying to find the right words to justify her constant rejection. "It's because everyone will…look, you know? The ones you wanted were way to skimpy, all the guys would drool."

"Isn't that the point of being a model?" Elesa shot back, crossing her arms on the counter in front of her. Cynthia chose this moment to interrupt, holding a few things in her hand. "Ah, look. A customer…and Cynthia no less! I had no idea you were still here."

"Sorry to interrupt," the Sinnoh trainer said, smiling at the two. The girl was quick to open a dressing room and let her inside, going back to her conversation, although this time it was more quiet and then Elesa went back into her own dressing room.

The first one Cynthia tried on was a white one piece, although it had a deep v-neck, stopping a few inches before her more private area showed. The back of it was also pretty revealing, but modest. She liked it.

A few more after that one, Cynthia walked out with the first one she tried on, about to approach the counter before she froze in place. Grey eyes were still on the image of Elesa a little too close to the employee for them to be _just friends_.

"I'll ring you up over here," another preppy employee said, emerging from the back. Cynthia didn't know if she was blatantly ignoring the kissing couple next to her or just oblivious, but that twinge in her stomach told Cynthia she had something to share with her fellow Sinnoh friends…and a meeting with the champion…

Which might have involved swimsuits and water and sun lotion…

"Um…ma'am? OI! You're nose is bleeding?!"

* * *

_**A/N:**_

Geez. I'm sorry about this one being so ugly, and so focused on Cynthia. I passed by a store with summer wear and this idea just came to me. But hey, at least you got another update!

Thank you for reading!


	4. Selfishness

I had no idea this would shoot up as much as I thought it would; thank you for reading it!

I'm sorry about the delay in the update too. Life came and shoved his nose into places he shouldn't.

Also, Mei's pokemon are going to be my team in the game whenever they do appear, just letting you know!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any names or places, which means I don't own Pokemon. Sad Rina.

* * *

_**Streamline**_

* * *

_**Selfishness**_

Sometimes she could be so selfish it was disgusting.

Mei's initial thought when she opened her eyes in the dead of night, seeing a sleeping and even breathing Elesa, the gym leader who owned the room the two were currently sleeping in. The bed was almost three times bigger than the younger girl's, but comfortable and warm, just like the rest of the organized room.

A small sad smile slid onto her face, causing an emotion she didn't know to evoke inside of her and force her to lift a hand, slowly wrapping around Elesa's neck. It drifted down softly, feeling her move as she breathed, Mei taking a deep breath. Her other hand searched through the covers to find the older woman's, sliding her fingers through Elesa's softly. She didn't know why, but seeing Elesa like this made Mei want to cling onto her more.

"You are so…" she whispered to herself, taking in all the features that adorned Elesa's sleeping face. Instead of trying to find a word to fit, Mei snuggled back into their former embrace, closing her eyes in order to sleep.

It never came. She sighed again, cursing her insomnia. Days without sleep on her journey sometimes forced that upon her, when she desperately needed to get something done, not having time for something as "petty" as sleep.

Instead, she chose to relish in the presence of Elesa, not having been able to be this near her for months, as a result of both being too busy and because of Mei not being around her enough for them to really be around each other. Mei hated that word, busy. It somehow sounded like the word to use as an excuse, even though both truly did have heavy schedules. However, she knew exactly why she always hated being far away from Elesa.

Mei didn't and couldn't deny her feelings for the blonde sleeping next to her, although the older woman could be oblivious to hints like nobody she had ever seen. Perhaps she did notice, but didn't point anything out as a means to tease her…but it was impossible. She did already belong to someone, and Mei didn't like him one bit.

Volkner. He came from Sinnoh as a way to explore other regions and acquire new electric pokemon for his gym, and along the way his stoic appearance captured Elesa's attention. Eventually the two became a couple, and Mei felt a little uneasy. How could she, out of everyone, compare to someone like Volkner? She was just some trainer, nothing like a legendary gym leader.

"I'll just enjoy this night then," she told herself, shaking all the other bad thoughts from her head. The feel of Elesa's warm hand and soft breathing calmed her, her body going slack against the plushy mattress. It had been a long time since she had stayed over here, Mei distancing herself from Elesa a bit after she started dating the Sinnoh leader.

She knew it wasn't fair to break their friendship like that, but anything she heard or saw involving their relationship was imbedded into her brain. Mei sighed against her pillow, letting her hands drop to her own side again. This wasn't right, she wasn't allowed to touch her like this and she knew it.

Mei turned to her side, back facing the sleeping Elesa. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she forced them down again, blinking rapidly to avoid spilling tears on Elesa's surely expensive pillows. Seeing the dark blue sky from the glass doors across the room, Mei could tell the sun was going to start rising soon, and then they'd be separated again.

"I need to calm down," Mei whispered, slowly pushing the warm covers off her body. The chilly air made her shiver, and it'd be even colder outside, so she grabbed her dark blue poncho that was hanging on her bag on the floor. Though it was a thin material, it at least covered her upper body.

Upon slowly opening the doors, Mei's teeth clattered against one another. "Sorry for waking you up," she said with a sigh, throwing a poke ball onto the ground. Darmanitan yawned loudly and looked up at her with a dazed gaze. Upon seeing Mei's teary eyes and upset face, he sat up straight with a hard expression.

"Ah, it's nothing…just a little cold," Mei laughed, jumping into the warm pokemon's body. Darmanitan lifted her with a friendly expression and leaned his back against the wall, unaffected by the chilly air. "I'm sorry for dragging you out," she whispered, resting her head on his arm.

He made a loud grunt with the shake of his head, lightly stroking the top of her head. Mei giggled, mirroring the action on his fur. However, after a few minutes in silence, Mei felt her other poke balls shake, as if they wanted to join them. "Alright, alright," she said, letting them all out. Before they could make a sound, Audino saw Elesa's sleeping form through the door, and made everyone turn silent.

"Thanks," Mei smiled, stroking her head. Audino made a light sound of enjoyment and crawled into Mei's arms, snuggling into her body. Mei smiled, loving how affectionate Audino could be; it was probably that reason even her toughest pokemon listened to her.

Samurott was lying his head on Mei's legs, asleep, while Lucario and Zoroark stood at both corners of the balcony, as if keeping guard. The two tall pokemon were enjoying the view of Nimbasa, Zoroark's eyes wide in excitement.

_Right…I got him after this city, so he never really got a chance here…_

"Where's Magnezone?" she asked, looking around for a sign of it. A light tap on her head gave her the answer, and Mei laughed at the sight of Darmanitan wearing Magnezone as a hat. "Aren't you hot?" she giggled, trying to keep her voice low.

Magnezone moved its body as if shaking its head, and Darmanitan gave her a thumbs up. Mei nodded a little and let out a deep breath. "Say…have any of you fallen in love before?" she asked, getting all of them aside from Samurott to stare at her strangely. "Aha…bad question?"

"Oh my," someone said at the door, stopped from Zoroark blocking the way. Mei jumped, thankful for the blockage of her pokemon to shadow her slightly depressed face. Being out here with her best friends definitely helped, but not if the root of the problem was now standing there.

"Zoroark, it's alright, she's a friend." Mei bit her tongue at that, her fist shaking on her side. The dark pokemon hesitated, but stepped back anyway, letting the sleepy faced Elesa outside.

Elesa took a look at the small party and tried to ignore the dark stares from Zoroark and Lucario, stepping closer to their trainer. Audino seemed to sense something and woke up, jumping out of Mei's embrace to guard her. "You seem to have a very defensive team," Elesa laughed, crouching down to smile at Audino. She gently reached out to pet her, and with every stroke, the pink pokemon began to look drowsy. "Very cute…"

Mei watched her lift Audino with no problems, letting her sleep in her arms with a smile on her face. "Did we wake you?" she asked, feeling regretful. It was shaken off when Elesa shook her head, standing in front of Darmanitan. The gym leader gently set the sleeping Audino down, seeing Lucario relax his body from the corner of her eyes.

"I woke up from a cold breeze coming in," the black-haired woman said, watching as Mei's face fell once more. She smirked and placed a hand on her hip, "Because there was nobody next to me."

A blush covered Mei's entire face, and she wondered if it was summer time as the air began to get thick and hot. "O-oh…well…" She tried to find the right words, but they got stuck in her throat, keeping her quiet.

After a pregnant silence, Elesa began a staring contest with Darmanitan in order to join Mei, which made the young trainer a little uncomfortable. In the end she made the large pokemon allow her in, though it wasn't a large space. He showed his protectiveness by keeping one arm around Mei and leaving his other arm to the side.

"Very protective," Elesa laughed, scratching Darmanitan's leg. It twitched and he made a noise that sounded oddly like enjoyment. Mei giggled and leaned into him again. "So why'd you come out here?"

Mei gulped, wondering if she should tell the truth or lie and make something up. If she lied, she might damage their friendship by becoming distant, but if she told the truth she'd be setting herself up for rejection. Either way Mei lost Elesa in the end.

A soft, warm hand reached down to lightly grab hers, Elesa's facial expression unchanging. Mei felt her face heat up again, and looked down to the sleeping Samurott. "I…just had a lot on my mind," she said lowly, trying to get her breathing in check. She could start out slow, then drop the bomb later.

"Hmm…about?" the leader asked, tightening her hold on the girl's sweaty palm. Her eyes held nothing, which worried Mei even more. Was Elesa even her friend? Should she have asked to sleep over in the first place? Something even more drastic entered Mei's mind: was Volkner supposed to come over? Elesa never wore revealing pajamas before, but she was wearing them the night before…

She couldn't take it anymore, so with a deep breath and a shut of her eyes, Mei decided to let the truth slip. "You. Always you," she whispered, feeling her eyes water. Her pokemon sensed it, and Samurott woke up with a deep glare directed at Elesa, who's eyes widened.

Mei didn't stop there, however. She broke away from Elesa's hands to stare at her own, smiling ruefully at them. "I'm selfish…I can't help but want you…to keep you…all to myself…" she hiccupped a little and covered her face with both hands. "You deserve to be around people better, than someone so, so selfish and horrible…" Her sane self kicked her for exploiting her tainted feelings and inner thoughts.

Elesa stopped her rant by grabbing her hands, forcing her to turn. Her eyes were hard and stern, trapping the younger girl in a daze. The sky was turning a lighter blue now, and it'd only be a matter of time before Mei was forced to watch Volker and Elesa together; being in Nimbasa to train a new team from a different region surely called for training at the stadiums…

"Everyone is selfish at some point, Mei," Elesa began, tightening her hold on Mei's shaking hands. It was a comforting feeling, however. "But you are the most selfless person on the planet, having done so much for all of Unova…I'd say you're allowed to be selfish all you want." She leaned in to press their foreheads together, closing her eyes to hum in content. Mei's skin was burning at this point, she tried to mask her amusement with a cool façade.

"So," she continued, opening her eyes to meet with Mei's crystalline blue, "Is it alright for me to be selfish as well?"

Mei furrowed her eyebrows, but they shot up when she felt soft lips caressing her forehead. All coherent thoughts and words died in her brain the instant she felt the soft kiss, and she would've fallen over had it not been for Darmanitan's body. "We, I…it…kiss…" she mumbled, eyes glistened with bliss. Elesa laughed and stroked her left cheek.

The pokemon around them found it to be very amusing, all of them returning to their poke balls to leave the two alone. Zoroark hesitated, sending daggers at Elesa's back before he disappeared into his pokeball. The lack of Darmanitan's support forced the two to topple backwards, but the impact was ignored, both more focused on the other's eyes.

Elesa let out a deep breath through her nose, and once again pressed their foreheads together. Mei's hands and body sat frozen, unable to comprehend what was happening.

Without a word, Elesa's lips descended on her forehead, down to her nose, then both her cheeks, feeling the increasing heat with each peck. She opened her eyes to meet Mei's and smiled. However, it disappeared when Mei, a confident look on her face and cheeks a bright red, secured Elesa's position on top of her by wrapping both arms around her neck tightly.

"Let me?" the brunette whispered, her mind yelling at her for being so dumb. It kicked and screamed and scolded her, but all Mei could focus on was Elesa. The gym leader audibly gulped, taking a moment to think about what Mei was asking for.

It was wrong, so utterly wrong of them to do this, but Mei had never felt so happy for finally expressing her feelings. It started as a chaste, impassionate kiss, not lasting longer than two seconds. But then, drunk on the feeling, Mei had selfishly asked for more and more, and Elesa had done nothing but comply to her wishes, allowing the kisses and caresses to become more intimate.

"Is this wrong?" Mei asked, out of breath. Her eyes were shining from the orange sky, the small light from the sun warming their bodies just a bit. One hand was stuck in Elesa's silky black hair, while the other tightly held onto the older woman's, their fingers entwined. She let out a shuddering breath, "We don't-"

Elesa cut her off with another kiss, stopping any negative thoughts or ideas from popping up into her head. "There's nothing wrong with this…" she said, repeating it over and over as she let her lips descend lower on Mei's body, stopping at her collarbone. "If you're worried about Volkner, don't. Please, don't." She sounded like she was pleading her, and Mei had no choice but to voice her disdain for the topic.

"I don't…like you two together…" She winced at the sharpness of her voice, how cold it sounded. Mei hated herself for trying to deny Elesa of any happiness; selfish thoughts shouldn't have to go this far…

Elesa hummed against her shoulder, letting Mei feel her smile. "Is that so? Why is that?" she asked, sincerely curious. Sure, she found his exterior incredibly attractive, and they shared the same interests; however, Volkner was a more straightforward and serious person whereas Elesa liked to go with the flow and avoid conflicts. Their relationship worked for a few months, and of course they did do things she couldn't mention, but in the end Elesa wasn't in love with him so they broke it off.

The brunette shook her head, feeling a blush stain her cheeks. Elesa stroked her arms from underneath her poncho, squeezing a small sigh of delight from Mei. She jumped and blushed even more, having no choice. "Because I! I…love you," she mumbled, almost inaudible to the older woman.

The dark-haired gym leader smiled widely, placing both hands on the side of Mei's head. "Well you don't have to worry about him anymore, just worry about yourself," she reassured, leaning down to close their distance again.

Neither of them had ever felt so happy for being selfish.

* * *

_**A/N: **_

I didn't really know where I was going with this one, but…yeah, here we go. It sort of makes up for the last chapter being too…I duuno, lacking.

Hopefully you enjoyed it, and hopefully my next update comes next week rather than a month!


End file.
